Welcome back to another edition of Lining Up. Every league should now be in playoff time as we approach the final few weeks of the season. This iteration of the column will examine recent hot players who are on teams with strong schedules this week. During this time of year, nearly everyone on your roster should be considered expendable unless they are stars. It is all about maximizing each spot on your roster to the fullest potential by rotating in players that either have full weeks or play on lighter nights.

Let's dive in.

Robert Thomas – Pavel Buchnevich

Robert Thomas may just be one of the quietest point-per-game players of the year. He has had some injury troubles and is a Certified Band-Aid Boy but he is on pace for 81 points on the season right now thanks in part due to his recent hot streak of nine points in his past five games. He has been lining up beside Vladimir Tarasenko and Buchnevich for more than half of his playing time so far and it has paid big dividends. When the trio are together they have a 53.3 CF% and a plus-7 goal differential against their opposition. At only 41% owned in Yahoo leagues, he is worth slotting into your roster as St. Louis has one of the better schedules this week. They will play three more times this week but on the advantageous off nights, Wednesday, Friday as well as Saturday. Included in one of these matchups is a home game against the lowly Seattle Kraken.

Buchnevich, to a lesser extent, is also on a hot streak with six points in his last five games which brings him up to a 75-point pace on the season. Despite the slightly slower pace, Buchnevich is owned in 77% of Yahoo leagues for a ludicrous 36% difference in ownership between him and Thomas. Although it does not explain the difference, Buchnevich can contribute in the shot categories more than Thomas as he has nearly three shots on goal per game. If he happens to be available in your league and your league counts shots, scoop him up for the solid St. Louis schedule this week.

Erik Haula/Jake DeBrusk

Both Haula and DeBrusk are paired here not because they are on the same line but because each are lining up with the top two Boston lines and contributing. Boston plays three more times this week including a great matchup against Detroit tonight. They also play on Friday and Sunday which are light days in the schedule. Each player is owned in less than 30% of Yahoo leagues and so if your roster is holding onto a secondary player from Vegas or Chicago, either one can provide more assistance in shear games played.

Haula has been tagging along with Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak for the majority of his season, nearly 44% of his even strength time has been with them and it has been working well. The line has been dominant with 24 GF and half that total against along with a 55.8 CF%. His past six games in particular have been insane as he has put up ten points in that span. At only 28% owned, take a flier on him.

Similar to Haula, DeBrusk finds himself in a very favourable situation lining up beside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, although for less time. Regardless, any line with Bergeron and Marchand on it is elite as indicated by the 67.3 CF% that they have while DeBrusk has been a part of the line. Also like Haula, he is on a hot streak of his own with six points in his last four games. DeBrusk is a paltry 23% owned if you are in need.

Jeff Skinner

Skinner has had the advantage of playing with the top Buffalo line this season in Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch. He has spent the majority of his season with Thompson in particular and the pairing has allowed Skinner to get back to a 60 point pace on the season which is a vast improvement over his past two. Skinner also is just slightly behind Thompson for the team lead in shots, landing nearly three and a half shots per game on the season. More importantly than his season stats, Skinner currently has nine points in his past eight games and although Buffalo has tough matchups this week, they will play four games between today and Sunday. A savvy owner could scoop up Skinner for Tuesday, Thursday matches and then swap Skinner out for Haula or Debrusk with the Friday, Sunday matches, maximizing a single roster spot for four games between today and Sunday.

Ryan Johansen

Similar to Skinner, Johansen has finally found some chemistry while lining up with Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg and also akin to Skinner, Johansen is putting up his best point pace since the 2018-2019 season. However where Johansen differs is the lack of any peripheral contribution which may come as no surprise to GMs. Johansen is also on a lesser hot streak with six points in the same number of games.

Nashville still has four games this week including a back-to-back on the weekend. Much like the Buffalo situation, you can actually stream in Skinner for three games then drop him for Johansen who will play two games Saturday and Sunday. This situation provides five man games from your roster spot. Neither player may be all-stars but with Skinner and Johansen each providing solid production in recent games, your single roster spot could produce like a point-per-game player.

Stay safe and good luck with your playoffs!